Golden Apple Surprises Lovejoy Elementary School Teacher Zebulon Holder with Prestigious Award for Excellence in Teaching
CHICAGO (May 10, 2021) - Golden Apple, the leading Illinois nonprofit committed to preparing, honoring and supporting great educators who advance educational opportunities for students, today surprised Zebulon Holder, a kindergarten through second grade teacher at Lovejoy Elementary School in Alton, with the prestigious Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Holder is one of 10 teacher award recipients in Illinois.
Following a highly competitive process, the 2021 teaching award recipients were selected from a record-setting 708 nominations of Pre-K-3rd grade teachers.
“These outstanding teachers transform the lives of students, schools, and communities over the course of their careers. Their resilience and perseverance in this past year–and their career–-has been nothing short of amazing,” said Golden Apple President Alan Mather. “Our 2021 award recipients will now join us in our mission to impact the lives of even more students by supporting the next generation of highly effective teachers through our two teacher preparation programs - the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs."
The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching honor outstanding teachers for having lasting, positive effects on students’ lives and school communities. Teacher recipients demonstrate – in their teaching and results – significant, positive impact on their students’ growth and learning.
About Zebulon Holder
For Holder, music is a tool to help students become lifelong learners, and he’s constantly reevaluating his approach to teaching to be sure that his students are getting what they need to achieve this goal. The day after students in Holder’s district were sent home last March to begin remote learning because of COVID-19, he had a virtual lesson ready to go to provide his students with a sense of normalcy amidst all of the disruptions they were experiencing. In the following weeks, he completely restructured his program to ensure that students would continue to feel engaged and learn through music while attending school virtually. Holder also began posting his lessons on Facebook to make them accessible for children and families who are not in one of his classes, attracting an audience that includes people in places as far away as Norway.
Each award recipient receives a $5,000 cash award and a spring sabbatical provided by Northwestern University at no cost. Award recipients also become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a community of educators who play an important role in preparing the next generation of teachers in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs - which are dedicated to addressing the teacher shortage in Illinois.
The nomination period for the 2022 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership is open. All are invited to nominate exceptional high school teachers and Pre-K-12th grade school leaders in Illinois at www.goldenapple.org/awards.
Golden Apple’s social media channels will feature surprises for each of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership recipients. Follow the news here: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn.
About Golden Apple
Golden Apple’s mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois, especially in schools-of-need. Our leading-edge preparation delivers exceptional teachers who make an impact. We help students thrive in the classroom and in life. Since our beginning, we have recognized master educators annually; and, these master educators help prepare the next generation of teachers. Our vision is an Illinois in which every classroom has a great teacher and to realize this, we are committed to making a material difference in resolving the teacher shortage throughout Illinois. Visit http://www.goldenapple.org for more information.
Media contact:
Kellie Kennedy
312-933-4903
kelliek@theharbingergroup.com